The amount of public money paid to individual businesses to help them during the pandemic is to be published.

The Department for Enterprise and Treasury will release details of all applicants who received financial assistance under the following schemes:

Coronavirus Business Support Scheme

Business Premises Support Scheme

Hospitality Transition Support Scheme

Winter Disruption Scheme

December Disruption Scheme

Coronavirus Recovery Scheme

Strategic Capacity Scheme

Salary Support Scheme

The news comes after the amount paid to businesses owned by former chief minister Howard Quayle was disclosed only after a challenge under the Freedom of Information Act in January.

Now, instead, transparency seems to be the order of the day.

Dr Alex Allinson MHK, Minister for Enterprise, said: ‘These schemes were introduced at various times over the last two years to inject funding into key sectors as the pandemic took its toll on staffing and operating ability.

‘With government mandated lockdowns we were compelled to act to ensure that our business community had the support and funding it required to keep going. As we signal the end of Covid-19 restrictions we are hopeful to see our recovery continue as we move towards normal levels of business across our sectors.’

A statement from the government reads: ‘Government has a clear commitment to transparency, and with the lifting of the last of the legal restrictions for our island, now is the opportunity to publish the individual data relating to the various coronavirus support schemes in their entirety.

‘Applicants who received financial assistance under any of the schemes listed above have been notified by email of the intention to publish details of their claim(s) and anyone who is concerned with the release of their information is encouraged to contact the relevant department as soon as possible.’

The information will be published on April 29.